New petition launched to protect GM food labels
Immediate release (2 Oct 2018)
PRESS CONTACTS: Liz O’Neill, 07811 211 404, liz[at]gmfreeze.org or Pat Thomas, 07950 231 240, pat[at]beyond-gm.org
A new petition, aiming to protect consumers’ right to make an informed choice about their food choices, was launched online this week.
Presented jointly by campaign groups GM Freeze and Beyond GM , the Don’t Hide What’s Inside petition calls on the Environment Secretary, Brexit Secretary and the Chairs of the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland to protect consumers’ right to make an informed choice by retaining and enforcing the requirement to label food containing genetically modified (GM) ingredients, throughout the UK.
Liz O’Neill, Director of GM Freeze explained the problem the petition sets out to address.
We know that people in the UK want GM products to be clearly labelled [1] and European Union regulations currently make that happen. The Government’s “no deal” technical paper on food labelling doesn’t even mention GM so we are deeply concerned that this key tool for consumer choice could be quietly shelved.
Pat Thomas, Co-Director of Beyond GM agrees adding
The current ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ approach to post-Brexit GMO labelling only benefits multinational corporations that are, through international trade deals, trying to foist GMO crops and foods onto the UK market. While these deals, so often negotiated in secret, use words like regulatory ‘harmony’ or ‘equivalence’, often these are just euphemisms for removing sensible consumer protection.
The petition can be signed online at www.donthide.gmfreeze.org
NOTES TO EDITORS
For more information, please contact Liz O’Neill, 07811 211 404, liz[at]gmfreeze.org or Pat Thomas, 07950 231 240, pat[at]beyond-gm.org
[1] GFK NOP survey of 1,000 adults, 2010, found that 89% want clear labelling of GM products and 72% would pay more for non GM food. https://www.gmfreeze.org/press-releases/two-thirds-want-gm-to-be-kept-off-their-plates-new-opinion-poll/The petition is being run jointly by GM Freeze and Beyond GM as part of GM Freeze’s Don’t Hide What’s Inside campaign calling for the retention of compulsory GM food labelling after Brexit.
GM Freeze is the UK umbrella campaign on GM food, crops and patents. GM Freeze is working to help create a world in which everyone’s food is produced responsibly, fairly and sustainably.
Beyond GM works raise the level of debate around GM crops in the UK and the EU. Its aim is to encourage deeper questions around the principles of sustainable food and farming and to encourage citizens to see themselves as key stakeholders in our collective food future.
